"Madame, there is not a man in the wide world who could find fault with you. For your fame has reached heaven itself, like that of some perfect king, ruling a populous and mighty state with fear of god in his heart, and upholding the night."
-- The Odyssey, Homer, as translated by E.V. Rieu in 1946
5 Most Important People in Ancient Greece
1. Melaus: Legendary King of Crete
2. Helen of Troy: "The Face that launched a Thousand ships", the wife of Melaus that was kidnapped by Paris and taken to Troy which started the Trojan War.
3. Homer: The blind Greek poet who wrote the two epic poems, the Iliad and The Odyssey starring the heros Achilles and Odysseus.
4. King Agamemmon of Mycenae:The brother of Melaus and the Minoan leader that fought the Trojans in the Trojan War over Melaus's wife Helen.
5. Cleisthenes: An Athenian noble man that is credited with introducing the foundations of democracy and increasing the power of assembly in Athens.
Map of Ancient Greece.
Statue of Zeus God of Gods: One of many gods in the Greeks polytheistic faith.
The Parthenon in Greece: Built to honor Athena.
5 Key Terms Epic Poem: A long poem that tells the deeds of a great hero, such as the Illiad and the Odyssey of Homer which told the stories of two great heros: Achilles and Odysseus. Polis: A Greek city-state which was often grouped together with other city-states to form an empire; the english word politics was derived from the greek word polis. Democracy: Greece was one of the first few civilizations to have a democracy which is "the rule of the many," government by the people, either directly or through their elected representatives. Tragedy: A play or story having to do with tragic events or has an unhappy ending which was a popular genre during this era. Example: Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare is a tragedy. Philosophy: Study of the fundemental nature of knowledge, some of the world's greatest philosophers lived during this era such as Aristotle, Socrates and Plato.
Mt.Olmpus: The home of the Gods.
Ancient Greece
The Ancient Greeks were and still are a very influential culture. The olympics as well as olives and grapes were a few of the products greek culture produced and are still popular today. In fact, greek culture is the basis for western and european civilization. The next paragraphs will give an overveiw of the greek era and some of the accomplishments of this time period.
Next, Greece is located on the Balkan Penninsula and is seperated from Asia by the Aegean sea. Due to rough terrain, there was very little transportation of goods or communication with outside cultures. Because of the many earthquakes that hit the small island of Crete, the bull was a common symbol. It was also incorporated in a few of their legends. Such as the legend of the Minotaur in which a terrible creature that was half man half bull was trapped in a labyrinth and was given children for food as a means to appease the beast.
Last, some of the most famous battles and wars took place in this era. Such as the Trojan War, which was fought between the Trojans and the Myceneans. It was started because the trojan prince Paris took Helen, one of king Argamemnon's many wives, back to Troy with him. The war was a long one due to the unbreachable walls that surrounded Troy. After 10 years of fighting the myceneans devised and cunning plan. They would construct a wooden horse as peace offering and send their ships back to mycenae, little did the trojans know that inside the horse they brought within the city walls was filled with mycenean warriors who would open the gates to the fleet of ships that waited just beyond the horizon. That night the Trojans lost the war and their city was destroyed. This was an era of many famous civilizations and will always be an important part of western culture.
Greek pillars: These pillars were carved to look like the greek God Athena.
Ancient Greece
2000 B.C. - 133 B.C.
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"Madame, there is not a man in the wide world who could find fault with you. For your fame has reached heaven itself, like that of some perfect king, ruling a populous and mighty state with fear of god in his heart, and upholding the night."
-- The Odyssey, Homer, as translated by E.V. Rieu in 1946
5 Most Important People in Ancient Greece
1. Melaus: Legendary King of Crete
2. Helen of Troy: "The Face that launched a Thousand ships", the wife of Melaus that was kidnapped by Paris and taken to Troy which started the Trojan War.
3. Homer: The blind Greek poet who wrote the two epic poems, the Iliad and The Odyssey starring the heros Achilles and Odysseus.
4. King Agamemmon of Mycenae: The brother of Melaus and the Minoan leader that fought the Trojans in the Trojan War over Melaus's wife Helen.
5. Cleisthenes: An Athenian noble man that is credited with introducing the foundations of democracy and increasing the power of assembly in Athens.
5 Key Terms
Epic Poem: A long poem that tells the deeds of a great hero, such as the Illiad and the Odyssey of Homer which told the stories of two great heros: Achilles and Odysseus.
Polis: A Greek city-state which was often grouped together with other city-states to form an empire; the english word politics was derived from the greek word polis.
Democracy: Greece was one of the first few civilizations to have a democracy which is "the rule of the many," government by the people, either directly or through their elected representatives.
Tragedy: A play or story having to do with tragic events or has an unhappy ending which was a popular genre during this era. Example: Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare is a tragedy.
Philosophy: Study of the fundemental nature of knowledge, some of the world's greatest philosophers lived during this era such as Aristotle, Socrates and Plato.
Ancient Greece
The Ancient Greeks were and still are a very influential culture. The olympics as well as olives and grapes were a few of the products greek culture produced and are still popular today. In fact, greek culture is the basis for western and european civilization. The next paragraphs will give an overveiw of the greek era and some of the accomplishments of this time period.
Next, Greece is located on the Balkan Penninsula and is seperated from Asia by the Aegean sea. Due to rough terrain, there was very little transportation of goods or communication with outside cultures. Because of the many earthquakes that hit the small island of Crete, the bull was a common symbol. It was also incorporated in a few of their legends. Such as the legend of the Minotaur in which a terrible creature that was half man half bull was trapped in a labyrinth and was given children for food as a means to appease the beast.
Last, some of the most famous battles and wars took place in this era. Such as the Trojan War, which was fought between the Trojans and the Myceneans. It was started because the trojan prince Paris took Helen, one of king Argamemnon's many wives, back to Troy with him. The war was a long one due to the unbreachable walls that surrounded Troy. After 10 years of fighting the myceneans devised and cunning plan. They would construct a wooden horse as peace offering and send their ships back to mycenae, little did the trojans know that inside the horse they brought within the city walls was filled with mycenean warriors who would open the gates to the fleet of ships that waited just beyond the horizon. That night the Trojans lost the war and their city was destroyed. This was an era of many famous civilizations and will always be an important part of western culture.
Timeline for this Era:
2000- 133BC Ancient Greece
2000-1450BC Minoan Civilization
1600- 1100BC Mycenean Civilization
1100- 750 BC Dark Ages
1250 BC Trojan War
750 BC Homer writes Epic Poems
508 BC Athens becomes a Democracy
492-479 BC Persian Wars
480 BC Battle of Thermopyle
356-323 BC Alexander the Great's reign
To Learn More:
Greek Religion
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greek History
Ancient Geece for Kids
History of Greece